Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been effectively implemented?

Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been effectively implemented? • What were the policy levers that policy makers put in place to implement the strategy (i.e. levy-grant system; grant regulations; SLAs; NSF and NSF funding strategy; partnerships; incentives such as SARS tax allowances.) • What are the policy interpretation challenges and how have these been addressed? • What structures were established to implement the strategy? • What systems and processes were developed and used to implement the strategy? Were they appropriate? • To what extent were the structures staffed by appropriately skilled people to implement? • How was implementation managed, and what were the governance arrangements?

Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been effectively implemented? • Where there has been effective implementation, what were the factors that contributed? Were there some aspects of policy achieved more quickly than others and if so why? • Where there was deviation from the strategy what were the underlying issues and challenges? • What were the accountability mechanisms? What was done when strategy was not being implemented (consequences of non-delivery)? How effective were the management and governance arrangements and what were the reasons for management and governance failures when they occurred? • To what extent did the culture of implementing structures impact on implementation? • What extraneous factors impacted on delivery? • To what extent have the specific outputs of the strategy been achieved? To what extent was the strategy a sound one and addressed expectations and needs?

Implementation Questions: Skills planning and supply and demand forecasting • To what extent is there a common understanding of what a “credible mechanism for skills planning” is? Has this been (a) established and (b) is it informing skills planning? • To what extent are SSPs professionally researched, provide a sound analysis of the sector and articulate an agreed sector strategy to address skills needs? • Have research needs across sectors been identified, and programmes put is place to produce required research? • What capacity has been established within the Department of Higher Education and Training to coordinate research and skills planning? • Are sector and nationally commissioned research and data (1) analysed, (2) validated and (3) captured in an integrated database that is (4) accessible to stakeholders?

Implementation Questions: Middle level skills interventions and expansion of Public TVET colleges provision • To what extent is there a common understanding of what middle level skills and occupations are? • Have SETAs (a) researched and identified middle level skills needs in their sectors? • Have they put in place strategies to address them, particularly through the use of the public TVET colleges and universities of technology and working in partnership with employers providing workplace-based training? • To what extent do TVET college strategic plans include (a) engaging in skills development programmes? (b) engaging in programmes offered in partnership with employers, or, (c) building capacity for (a) and/ or (b)? • Are there partnerships (including PPPs) between DHET, SETAs, employers, private providers and public TVET colleges? • What are the partnerships focused on and what have they achieved? Are they resulting in increased capacity to meet industry skills needs?

Implementation Questions: Middle level skills interventions and expansion of Public TVET colleges provision • To what extent is there an increase in access to occupationally-directed programmes delivered through or in collaboration with Public TVET colleges? • To what extent are SETAs supporting artisan training? How many artisans qualify annually? How many find employment? • Has the National Artisan Development Project (developed by JIPSA and now located in the DHET) been planned, managed and reported on? • To what extent do SETAs collaborate with TVETs to offer vocational programmes and work experience for learners? • Are workers exposed to “substantial” training programmes? Are companies/organisations reporting on the impact of training provided to workers? • Is the training of employed workers addressing critical skills, enabling improved productivity, economic growth and the ability of the work force to adapt to change in the labour market?

Implementation Questions: Middle level skills interventions and expansion of Public TVET colleges provision • Has the capacity of TVET Colleges to provide quality vocational training been reviewed? • Has the capacity of college educators to deliver programmes been reviewed? • To what extent have skills development programmes, including work placement opportunities, been implemented to build the capacity of college educators to deliver occupational programmes? • Are the NCV and N-courses recognised by employers as important base qualifications through which young people are obtaining additional vocational skills and work experience and entering the labour market with marketable skills? • Do we have a public TVET system that is responsive to sector, local, regional and national skills needs and priorities?

Implementation Questions: Higher level skills, innovation and research • Are high level scarce skills needs identified in SETA SSPs? • How are these addressed? • What has been done to facilitate work experience and graduate and post-graduate experiential learning? • To what extent is the academic staff in universities able to offer relevant education and training at the required quality? Are university curricula responsive to the needs of industry? • Do university students have the requisite attributes to seamlessly integrate into the workplace? • To what extent has industry relevant research needs been identified, and what is being done to address this?

Implementation Questions: Skills for unemployed youth • What role has DHET played, in partnership with stakeholders in the youth sector, to put in place training and work experience projects for young people? • Is there a national strategy in place to provide all young people leaving school with an opportunity to engage in training or work experience, and improve their employability? • To what extent is training and work experience being provided to unemployed young people? • To what extent, and how, is the low level of youth and adult language and numeracy skills being addressed (to enable additional training)? • Is there an increase in the absorption levels of young people into work/employment?

Implementation Questions: Meeting the skills needs of SMEs, cooperatives, NGOs, CBOs and trade unions • Have SETAs identified skills needs of established and emergent cooperatives, small businesses, NGOs and CBOs? • Has a national database of cooperatives, small businesses, NGOs and CBOs that is supported through skills development been established? • Is the impact of this training being reported on? • What evidence is there that co-operatives, small businesses, NGOs and CBOs that are supported with skills development are expanding and contributing to economic and employment growth? • Have cross-sectoral and partnership projects been established to address skills needs along supply chains aimed at supporting economic development? • Have SETAs engaged with trade unions in their sectors and identified Worker Education skills needs and strategies to address needs.

Implementation Questions: Building a capable state • Have SETAS with a responsibility for public sector training conducted needs analyses in the public sector? • What are government departments paying to the SETAs? • Are training plans agreed between the relevant departments/entities and the SETAs, and are these reported on? Are SETAs funding training in government departments? • What evidence is there of increasing public sector capacity for improved service delivery and supporting the building of a developmental state? • Has DHET initiated a discussion on factors impacting provision in the public sector, and published proposals on improving the institutional framework for public sector education and training?

Implementation Questions: Career Development • Have SETAs developed career guides with labour market information and information on career paths that are mapped to occupations and qualifications? • How has this career information been communicated, and to whom? • What evidence is there that these career guides have been used by young people and by workers to make study and career choices?

Implementation Questions: Cross-cutting themes and assumptions in the strategy • To what extent have the transformational imperatives been achieved? • Has there been improved coordination of support to coops including the establishment (via DTI) of a cooperative training academy? • What is the nature and level of collaboration between economic development stakeholders in using skills development to support the economy? • Have partnerships been developed that address cross-sectoral needs and rural development? • Have there been efficiency gains that enable more to be achieved with available resources? • Has the role of government and government entities in the supply of skills been expanded? • Have the SETAs and the NSF been reformed, given clearer focus, and become more efficient and effective?

Implementation Questions: Cross-cutting themes and assumptions in the strategy • To what extent have the SETAs and the NSF aligned their work with wider government priorities and programmes? • Has the Department put in place an effective M&E framework and system? To what extent has the NSA developed their role in M&E? • Has there been effective monitoring of progress and corrective action taken where parts of NSDSIII are not being achieved? • Has RPL expanded? • Have employed workers been able to gain qualifications that enhance their career through RPL? • To what extent has NSDS III supported NQF objectives of improved quality, access, articulation and portability?

Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been efficiently implemented? • To what extent were processes put in place to implement the strategy efficiently? • Were various alternative processes considered and the most efficient ones selected? • Where the objectives were not being achieved for particular target groups, were systems adjusted? • Where inefficiencies were identified were they addressed? If so, how? If not, why not? • Were some structures and processes more efficient than others? • What were the costs of various programmes and programme types? • Was value for money achieved?

Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been effectively implemented?